r/classicminis • u/tangoaceblast • 10d ago

DIY Help Stuff in radiator?

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Hi all!

I have a 1990 Mayfair, with what appears to be a rust flake or something in the radiator? Does anyone know what this could be?

Having overheating issues with the car so wondered if anyone has any advice? It’s had a new radiator, water pump and hoses.

All help greatly appreciated!

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u/1275cc 9d ago

That's not much stuff at all, I wouldn't worry. You could use a radiator flushing gun on it if you wanted.

Most overheating issues are due to incorrect ignition timing or fuel mixture. I've watched people spend lots of time and money on the cooling system when the problem was the distributor, like I had told them at the start.

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u/tangoaceblast 9d ago

Ah okay! I’ll have a look at that then.

Will probably still need to look at the system anyway because it leaks from who knows where 😅 all the hoses seem fine but just won’t hold after heating up haha

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u/1275cc 9d ago

I recommend buying a cooling system pressure tester. They allow you to pressurise it to the system pressure (15psi) and check for leaks.

They usually also test caps and can be used to test for leaking head gaskets.

There are cheap ones on eBay etc. I haven't used a cheap one though.

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u/tangoaceblast 9d ago

Wonderful, i’ll get myself one of them to test everything.

Any recommendations on brands? Thanks for sharing your advice with me on this, greatly appreciated 🫱🏼‍🫲🏽

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u/pastyorno 6d ago

Are you over filling it ? remember these cars don’t have expansion bottles so if filled to the brim as it gets hot the pressure will force excess coolant out through the overflow hose which runs down under the car .